Back In Time
by DeadlyGodiva
Summary: Spike's arrival at Wolfram & Hart is unconventional, to say the least. When Angel is forced to face his and Spike's sordid past together, will he try to rewrite history or is it doomed to repeat itself? May/may not have c/p, will have language at times.
1. Chapter 1

Back In Time

Disclaimer: I merely own the right to express my idea in this manner.

* * *

What was the point of having underlings if he still had to respond to every, single emergency as if he was the only one capable of dealing with it?

What, exactly, was he paying these people to do?

For that matter, was _he_ the one even paying them..?

He would have to remember to ask Gunn about that the next time he saw him.

Shaking his head to clear it of thoughts unimportant, for now, he walked down a narrow hallway briskly.

She had sounded both excited and worried all at once when she'd sent for him, a potentially volatile combination.

He hadn't even been at the job barely a week and he was already missing the small, simple business he'd run out of the Hyperion.

He'd never really been a people person at any point in his life, and trying to run a company, an evil company that he didn't trust at all, while dealing with hundreds of employees and contacts and informants, it was torture.

And now this, whatever _this_ was, had happened.

Would it be too much to ask for him to just catch a break, for once?

"There you are!"

She pounced on him as soon as he pushed open the door and stepped into the heavily sterilized lab area, which appeared to also have been bleached an abnormal shade of white.

"I had to go over and approve some paperwork first—something about a judge needing a seer to finish up his case."

"Yeah, yeah okay—just _wait_ until you see what they sent us!"

"I'm pretty good at waiting."

She rolled her eyes and grabbed hold of one of his arms to tug on.

"At least keep an open mind Angel. This is our business now; this is what we do."

"I know that Fred, I get it, but that doesn't mean—"

"That you have to think the worst all the time."

Fred gave him a look and then released him.

"Now, wait here, I'll be right back."

Why was it that he was the boss yet he always seemed to be the one being bossed around?

He really needed to take another look at that contact…

"It's okay…don't worry, you're safe, I promise."

Fred stroked the back of a frail hand, smiling at the figure she led across the floor.

"This is the one I was telling you about, remember? His name is Angel."

He turned at his name and looked down at Fred and her new "friend" accompanying her.

"Angel—I would like you to meet—"

"William…?"

It couldn't be.

Bowed head lifted and he gazed into crystal clear, sapphire blue eyes chalk full of alarm and uncertainty.

"William?"

Fred looked between the two, greatly confused, as Angel took a cautionary step backwards.

This had to be a trap of some kind, a trick, a—a…

"How did you know my name…?"

For the first time in nearly a hundred years Angel indulged in an act he'd convinced himself he had gotten the better of.

He ran away.

Though Fred tried to chase after him, calling, begging, for him to come back and explain what was wrong, he was gone in the blink of an eye.

There was only one person he wanted, needed, to talk to.

* * *

"You don't look very happy for a newly established billionaire CEO. Maybe it's time to take some of that cash and get a nice Swedish massage."

"What did you do?"

"Hello to you too, and I can say, for once, scout's honor, nothing."

"Don't pretend like you don't know what's going on."

"Which is…?"

Her heart rate was at a perfectly normal level, and her breathing was breezily easy going.

He couldn't find any physical, or otherwise, indication she was lying to him, but…she had to be.

"Look, Angel, I told you when you took over this job that you might meet some people, or see some things, you wouldn't like. This 'is' Wolfram & Hart, it may take a while for you to expunge all evils."

"That's not—Spike just got here, Lilah."

Lilah shut up at that, speechless.

He stared at her dubiously.

"You're telling me you had no idea he was here? That he'd been brought here this morning?"

"No. I thought he was dead."

"Dead? What do you mean 'dead'?"

Angel's question was ignored as Lilah's brow creased in concentration.

"This is interesting…if he is here then that means they brought him back, and—they rarely do that."

"Brought him back? Back from where? And who are 'they'?"

"Your new bosses, who else, and where do you think? If he was _dead _then probably hell or someplace equivalent."

Lilah looked at Angel then as if he was a dimwitted imbecile for asking such dumb questions.

A look he did not appreciate.

And he really was going to need to take another look at that damn contract.

"I need you to find out what they're up to."

"And you seem to think I can just snap my fingers and make that happen?"

"I'm sure you can think of something."

"Angel—"

"Lilah, if they intend to start meddling in my life already and think I am just going to stand around and let them because I agreed to this _deal_, they're wrong. The next time I see you I expect you to have some answers, or don't bother coming back until you do."

"You always mange to ask the simplest things of me don't you?"

"Pardon the interruption, but, Angel?"

He cast his gaze over at the newly arrived speaker.

"Don't worry Wes, we're done here."

Lilah smirked.

"I guess that's my cue to go play sexy detective."

She grinned slyly at Wesley.

"Wouldn't be my first time though."

The man's cheeks caught a bit of color and he cleared his throat.

"Hello, Lilah."

"Don't worry, I'll keep our little secrets to myself. But be mindful of Mr. Bossman here, he's a little moody today."

Angel glared off after her as she sashayed away.

No matter how many times he dealt with her, he always felt as if she had the upper hand in some way.

"Fred sent me."

Wesley stepped closer to Angel, getting his full attention.

"That person is—is he really—?"

"Yes."

Angel's short reply had a touch of hostility to it.

"But how can that be? William the Bloody? Spike? That man down there can barely keep eye contact with you when you're speaking to him for longer than three seconds."

"I know, it took m—took Angelus a long time to break him of that."

Angelus had broken him of plenty more as well, slowly but surely transforming the timid, sensitive, depressed weakling into a semi-confident, braggart, heartless, sadistically psychotic serial killer.

Which was why he reacted so strong when he saw him again as that person, as that man child, it reminded him exactly of what he'd stolen and ripped away from him, cruel and unforgiving as he'd turned innocence into insolence and love into loathing.

It was, yet again, another reminder of a life he had heavily influenced for all the wrong reasons; a good man he'd molded into a monster after his own image.

"He seems—"

"Scared. And he is."

Angel's face clouded in thought.

Wesley tried to get a read on his friend's current temperament and failed miserably to do so, as usual.

"Then what are we—"

"I'll wait for Lilah to report back to me, and then I'll go from there. I can't do anything about him until I know what happened to him, and why."

"Angel, he's um—he's asking for you."

His mouth opened but no words followed and so he closed it again, eyes dark and stormy.

"He doesn't understand how you already knew his name."

"Just, tell Fred to make up a story. Say I have it on file or something."

"You could just—"

"_**No**_. No, I can't."

Angel's cold emphasis was not lost on Wes, who bristled some at it inwardly but remained stoically unflustered.

"Fine, Fred and I will handle him for now; I'll let you know how it goes."

He felt as if he should say something more, explain himself better, perhaps, but his pride, his apprehension, wouldn't let him, so he merely nodded at Wesley who left to tend to the one who was actually, by all rights and purposes, _his_ responsibility.

With a low snarl of exasperation he punched a button on the phone sitting atop his desk, the only one he really knew how to work or what it was for.

"Yes boss?"

"Harmony, I need you to get in touch with Charles for me. Tell him I need to see him, in my office, as soon as possible."

"Sure thing, I'm on it."

Angel released the button first and then released a reserved groan.

He had to get it together.

Spike's, or rather _William's_ return wasn't that big a deal, he could handle it.

He could handle him, easy, he used to all the time.

This was no different, well maybe a little, but—

"Boss?"

Harmony's soft voice coming back through the speaker of his phone unexpectedly broke his concentration.

"What Harmony?"

"There's a—situation brewing down in the lab."

"Situation…?"

"I think someone tried to bite Fred?"

He really needed to get his hands on that contract, asap.

* * *

tbc…


	2. Chapter 2

At least a dozen or more suited individuals formed a circle around him, each one talking louder than the one next to them so that they could be heard over all the noise.

"Mr. Angel, sir, just so there is no—"

"It was made clear through our department that he—"

"I had the order sheet proceeded and it should have—"

"Just—get away—move!"

Angel broke free from the throng of chattering lackeys, pushing a few out of his way not too kindly, and hurried over to Fred who sat in a chair across the room, holding a bandage against one side of her neck, some discomfort evident on her face.

"Did he—?"

"He didn't know what he was doing. I—I think I scared him more than he scared me."

Fred went to shake her head and then, wisely, thought twice about it.

"It's just a little scratch."

Angel squatted down in front of his young friend and carefully moved her small hand out of the way so he could inspect the wound himself.

"You don't—"

"I need to be sure."

A faint impression of teeth and an inch long slit in the skin, that had already stopped bleeding, could be seen.

The childe hadn't even known how to latch on properly; Angel kept this thought, though, to himself and simply sat back on his heels, frowning.

"I should have known…I'm sorry, I didn't even think—"

"It's not your fault."

Fred was quick to nip Angel's brewing guilt in the bud.

"None of us knew he was still a vampire. He's just seemed so—human. I never would have assumed he wasn't."

"But _I_ should have known Fred. I'm his—at least I was…"

Angel's words trailed off as he was unable to continue or else he was going to start merely rambling nonsense.

Fred looked down at the used bandage in her hand, the red stains of her blood on it holding her gaze.

"William was horrified Angel. He just started—screaming and tried to run out of the lab. Wesley had to bring in a team to sedate him."

Fred further explained what had happened before, during, and after the attack but Angel was hardly paying her any attention, lost in his own mind and thoughts that jabbed at sore spots which never quite healed no matter how much time passed him by.

It'd been William' first transformation into his vampire form, his first attempt to feed, and he'd missed it.

He'd missed it while shut up inside his stupid office, brooding, when he should have been there for him, should have helped him.

To allow a childe, _your_ childe to go through that life changing moment alone when you didn't have to, when you could have and should have been there to help them…

It was like missing your baby's first birthday, word, and step all at once, moments that once they were gone, that was it; precious moments you could never get back again or make up for.

Angel knew he had no excuse, none whatsoever, not like last time; he'd just failed the boy, already.

"Angel? Did you hear me?"

Fred took a pass at Angel's blank face with her free hand and waved it in front of his eyes, startling him back into reality.

"Huh?"

"I said that Wesley told me you don't feel comfortable dealing with William, but considering what just happened I don't think—I mean, we aren't exactly equipped—"

"No, I know. I will—I will handle it, I'll handle him, you're right. He needs uh—"

"You."

"Help, Fred."

"I think that, at this point, there's not much difference between the two."

Fred went to stand up out of the chair and Angel insisted, resolutely, on helping her though she told him she could manage; it was her neck that had been hurt, not her limbs.

"You should take the rest of the day off."

"Angel—"

"Hey, who's the boss here again? I want you to take it easy; the lab can manage without you for a while."

She looked up at him with glowing eyes.

"I'm _fine_; you know, you sound as bad as Wesley."

"And you're being hard headed."

A softly British accented voice spoke out behind them.

"I can still do my job, sore neck or not."

"You, I'm ordering you to make sure she follows my orders to _go home_."

Fred gave a highly exasperated sigh which Wesley hid a smile at while nodding.

"Yes sir."

The woman looked between both men wearing a determined stare that they knew all too very well.

"What about William? When he wakes up he is going to be terrified. And I don't want him to have to deal with strangers either, he was just beginning to trust me. I am not going home unless you promise he's going to be taken care of, the right way."

"I'll do you one better, I'll be the one taking care of him."

Wesley and Fred both looked at Angel at the same time and the large male shrugged halfheartedly at their unspoken skepticism.

"I know—I was wrong before."

Fred started to say something but Wesley cut her off and grabbed hold of her right hand, squeezing it to silence her.

"If you'd like for me to come back later on, just give me a call."

Angel brushed off the man's offer.

"Don't worry about it, I'll be okay. It's been a while but I think I can remember how it all works."

Angel's attempt at a smile was more like a pained grimace, but his two friends were generous enough to not mention it and instead bid him farewell, and good luck.

They all knew he was going to need it.

* * *

Standing in front of the one sided glass window, staring into the sparsely furnished room, only a bed and desk with a chair had been placed inside, he couldn't tear his eyes away from the body laid out on the bed, still under the influence of strong sedatives that had been pumped into it earlier.

What was he doing?

What was he going to do?

How was he going to explain anything to the kid without freaking him out completely or exposing things he couldn't yet?

Angel had hoped he could wait on Lilah, funny, and get some new insight, information on what had happened and why.

Why now?

Last he'd heard Spike was fighting alongside Buffy and her crew, doing what they could on their end to save the world.

And he still didn't understand what Lilah had meant about Spike being dead. He had been dead for over a hundred and twenty years, but she couldn't have been talking about that.

Leaning forward, he gently banged his forehead against the cold glass, hoping beyond hope for some clarify to strike him, or lighting if someone was feeling up to it.

He needed to stop thinking so much about what he didn't know and figure out what he could actually do with what little he did before the childe woke up again.

* * *

Under shut eyelids eyes twitched side to side and then they abruptly flew open and the boy sat up straight in bed.

The sudden movement in the room caught Angel a bit off guard; he'd forgotten that even the tiniest noise could wake a new vampire, their senses almost impossibly heightened due to their inability to yet control them.

Disoriented, William tried to move his legs but he couldn't swing them off one side of the bed for they'd been shacked to it. In a panic he lifted one arm and found his wrists too had padded cuffs attached to them.

Not wasting time he knew he didn't have, Angel rushed over to a keypad beside the metal door of the childe's room and punched in his access code.

Instead of seeing the little light above it go green, as he knew it was supposed to, it remained red.

"Oh come on…"

He tried again, switching out a two for a four.

Again, nothing happened and the blinking light flashed at him defiantly.

William, feeling trapped and nearly claustrophobic, began breathing faster and faster, uttering sounds of alarm out loud.

Angel could hear him and began muttering under his breath, trying to remember the code Harmony had given him a few days ago.

"Three, nine, zero, four, six…"

Trying the handle and finding it still locked tight he felt his anger building and rational thought was promptly being replaced by sheer instinct.

His childe needed him.

"Someone…someone I—please let me out! Please…I need to get out of here!"

Pulling at the bonds that held him fast William made absolutely no progress at achieving freedom. The boy was unaware that they'd been especially made to resist the strongest beings imaginable, and as a newborn vampire he was far too weak to even rattle the locks.

And then, in the mist of his panic, he remembered; that nice woman who'd been trying to help him, he'd hurt her.

He'd—he'd assaulted her.

William could still taste her on his dry tongue, her life essence, and he felt his stomach flop over with sickness and bile rose up in his throat.

Angel sensed what was happening on the other side of the door and his fingers flew as he tried every single combination he could think of to get the damn door to open.

He had to get in that room, now.

"Let me go!"

William began clawing at one arm and wrist in desperation, trying to rip the cuff off, his nails growing out like talons as his inner vampire demon appeared, slashing his shirt and skin open.

The scent of the childe's blood filled Angel's nostrils and they flared wide.

He punched at the door in frustration and was rewarded with a broken bone in his right hand.

During his tour of the building they'd assured him that Wolfram & Hart had a vastly advanced defense system, invoking both the best of man made and mystical technologies; meaning you weren't just going to be able to break a secured door down, no matter who you were.

Ignoring the acute, shooting pains in his hand Angel looked around wildly and then—

Turning his head and covering his face with his coat collar, Angel stepped back and then ran forward and threw himself through the window.

The glass shattered on impact, but instead of breaking and falling away the serrated pieces turned inward, digging in and tearing at every part of the man they could.

Angel dropped to the floor on one knee, his coat was now nothing more than tattered strips of leather but it'd protected him for the most part. It was his favorite duster too, but he could care less about that, well, it could wait until later anyway.

"Get away!"

The childe's scream of terror was followed by a feeble sob of fear.

Lifting his head, he saw the boy pressed up against the backboard of the bed, cowering.

"What have you done Will…?"

Angel whispered to himself as he saw the boy's arms and chest cut up badly and seeping blood from the long, ugly gashes his nails had inadvertently caused.

"Help me…"

Seeing now who the intruder was, the man who'd known his name, the one with a very caring face, William reached out to Angel with bloodied, shaky hands.

"Please…?"

* * *

tbc...


	3. Chapter 3

Okay so, update time, I am currently working on new chapters for my already uploaded pieces, such as this one, but I think I need a little inspiration boost to help me get out this writer's funk I seem to have caught a case of.

Now, for those of you have read some of my work, and liked what you've seen, I am offering up this opportunity to leave me a comment in the reviews for this piece, or a private message if you'd like, if there may be some story idea you'd like to see written out or a prompt you'd like to issue me, perhaps a scene you felt was missing from the show, whatever you like, the sky is the limit here. I like being challenged and pushed and I love really creative, imaginative ideas so really have no fear about being too freaky or bold, I love that sort of stuff and it helps me write more in general.

I don't mind writing M/F or F/M though my main specialty is M/M, but I am more than flexible about most themes, ideas, characters, etc. If I do happen to take on someone's idea or challenge then I will dedicate the story to you specifically, of course, and may steal from your well again if necessary, I make no promises.

And that's it, I thank everyone who has reviewed and or liked my work already, I really appreciate you, so this is sort of my way of giving back to say thanks.


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